I just received my first rejection letter from a literary agent! That makes me feel somehow more official as an author. I wrote “Rejection #1” and hung it on my writing room wall. Methinks it’ll soon have plenty of company.

With Love,

Russ

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About russtowne

My wife and I have been married since 1979. We have 3 adult children and 4 young grandsons. I manage a wealth management firm I founded in 2003. My Beloved is a Special Education teacher for Kindergartners and First Graders. I'm a published author of 23 books in a variety of genres for grownups and children. In addition to my family, friends, investing, and writing, my passions include reading, watching classic movies, experiencing waves crashing on rocky shores, hiking in ancient redwood forests, and enjoying our small redwood grove and fern garden.

36 Responses to My First Rejection Letter from a Literary Agent!

YES!! Good for you, I keep mine too lol! Great minds think alike I guess. The more you query – the more rejections you get. Prof you’ve done much, and motivation to do more 🙂 keep it up my friend, and so will I 🙂

Thank you, Didi! I view agent queries as a farmer views planting seeds. Many seeds must be planted, and many won’t grow, but we only need one to potentially reap a bountiful harvest. May your harvest be bountiful indeed!
Russ

It was a very polite form letter which included a “don’t give up!” message. She answered in three days (which I believe is about a month faster than average) and many agents don’t acknowledge a query at all, saying, If you don’t hear from me in X weeks/months I’m not interested.” In essence, “If your phone’s not ringing, it’s me not calling.” Some agencies get hundreds of queries per week, so I understand that writing personalized rejection letters would take up too much of the time that they could be pitching books to publishers and reading more queries.

I would especially appreciate receiving such a note from them, Tess. It would help me to learn and adjust so the next time I query them I’ll be more likely to have what they want. I understand why most don’t do that, but it would just make me appreciate the ones who do all the more.
Russ

The upside is that when an agent who doesn’t send personalized rejection letters to everyone represents me, she will spend more time pitching my books than she would if she spent most of her time sending those letters. I said “she” because it appears to me that over 90% of the agents who represent my primary genre are women (which didn’t surprise me.)
Russ

Thank you, Annette! I focus on making every moment be the time of my life. I certainly don’t always succeed, and sometimes miserably fail, but having that focus has helped me to create a life that often comes dangerously close to blissful.

Thank you for your encouragement, Martha. I don’t feel alone in this mostly solitary profession largely due to people such as you who take the time to communicate with and encourage me. What a wonderful blessing to have.

Thank you, Mrs P. Rejection letters can be kind of like the rain. I can either choose to love or curse them, but both are going to come either way. The rejections and rain don’t care. I might as well dance and sing in them, and splash in the puddles, reveling in each moment.
Russ

LOL! It does feel like validation, Colleen! I now share something in common with some of the world’s best authors. (And many of the world’s worst ones too, but I like to look on the positive side of things.)
Russ

Thank you, Ute. I’m a storyteller. Which story is more interesting, “I got agency representation after 10 rejections”, or “I got agency representations after 100 rejections”?
;-D! On the other hand, never getting agency representation no matter how many rejections I send out would not only not be an interesting story, it would, uh, what’s a polite word for “SUCK?”
Russ

Thank you! At first I was a bit intimidated to expose my babies to strangers who see hundreds of stories every week, but after the first queries, I’ve discovered somewhat to my surprise that I’m not only learning a lot, I’m actually having fun! And my confidence is gradually growing. Of course that may change after the first couple hundred rejections! ;-D!
Russ

Thank you, Brandon. If/when I get signed, I plan to frame my first rejection letter and keep it on a wall in my writing room as a reminder to take nothing for granted and of a milestone reached on a journey that won’t end while I’m still breathing. Good luck on your journey.